Bumper



Patented F eb. 9, 1926.

UNITED STA-Tes FRANK J'. LAHER, OF ORTLAND, OREGON.

BUMPER.

Application filed .Tune 29, 1925.

To (LU 11172011@ 'it muy @office/Mi:

Be it known that L FRANK J. Lai-inn, a citizen ot' the United States, and a resident of Portland, county ot' h/l-ultnomah, and State ot (,lregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bumpers, oit which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to bumpers as commonly en'iployed on automobiles and has for its principal object the providing ot a bumper `which is oit very simple construction and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble and repair, pleasing in appearance and strong and durable in operation. and yet has sii'tiieient resiliency. Y

A further and incidental object ot my invention to provide a bumper ot this char-- actor, in which the bumper or impact bars do not have to be foi-med or upset, under heat. ln other words, to provide a bumper, in which the buiiiper or impact bars do `not have to 'be processed other than being sheared to length. given a slight overall curvature, punched and finished. It is common practice at the present time to construct the biiiiiigicr bars of flat stock. Said stock is cut to a desired length and the ends are heated and upset, or are formed into eyes: and thus when two or more lbumper vbars are yplaced side by side in assembling a bumper they must be held together by bolts and spacers, said bolts passing through sait. eyes or said spacers placed between or passing about said upset portions. Such toriiiiiig or upsetting of a bar is a relatively expensive operation, which also affects, somewhat, the alloy steel ot which these bumpers are made; all ot which undesirable tentures l. avoid by my improvement.

l attain the aforementioned objects by inovidiim` a bumper made up of flat` or flatly curved bars which are connected by theii1 endsI with a cap or end piece. Said cap or end piece is provided with an elongated slot or iiE the bumper .is made ot a plurality ot bars, a correspondingl number ot recesses. Sai-d recesses .not only provide a sturdy means of connecting the ends ot' said bumper bars together and hoiding them lin spaced .apart relationship, but also serve to conceal the ends ot' said bars in such a manner that the sheared ends ol the saidv bars are not necessarily dressed or ,iinished This inanner ot connection permits the bars to be slieai'ed ;to exact length and eliminates the -into place.

Serial No. 413,314.

necessity of removing the burr which is ranged to conceal the adiacent recess and said recess is pretera'bly tormed to `conceal the threaded end .of the bolt which constitutes said fastening means.

further object ot my invention is to ide auxiliary devices on the back side .ot 4the ends ot the bumper which serve to cl se the lniclwardly curved ends of said vb nper to prevent .articles from being ens j by said hooked end. That is, the 't the ybun'ipersj especially the bumper placed .on the front end of the vehicle, ondiiiarily e--tend .laterally beyond the `tenders at each side. and thus oitten when said vehicle is bei-ng backed, one back fardly curved end portion ot the iront bumper will ho'oh7 a tender or other part ot' an Iadjacent vehicle.

llo .attain this object I mount an auxiliary meii'ibcr. which is curved oppositely :to the curve otx said bumper end, upon said curved end, said member thus serving to close `the `other-.vise open or ghoolW-shaped end -o-t said liiuu'iper. ln my improved bumper in -whicl'i the ends oi the bumper or impact bars are connected by a sepa-rate member bolted thereto said auxiliary mei'i'iber serves an additional purpose. namely, .being fastened to said end piece or cap and to one bumper bar, said member prevents the cap from shaking loose under the vibration of the bumper. This is especially true if the auxiliary member is relatively resilient and tornied so that said member must be sprung The tendency vot said member :toassiiine its normal position tends to lrock said cap or ,end piece about its bolted connection and to pinch the nut thereon to prevent it from being backed ott by the vibration oi said vehicle.

The above `mentioned features ot my invention are .hereinafter fully I.described with reterence to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved bumper carried by two spaced supports, portions ot' which are shown;

Fig. 2 isan enlarged fragmentary elevation .otono end of said bumper showing the inexpensive.

separable end piece for the bumper bars, and shows the auxiliary member in dotted outline;

Fig. 3 is a similar scaled, plan View of the parts shown in 9i;

Fig. lis a section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3 through the cap or end piece and shows one end of the auxiliary member which is carried thereby; and

Fig. 5 is a plan section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and shows the bolted connection between the bumper bar and the cap or end piece, and also one end of the auxiliary member.

My improved bumper comprises aplurality of bumper bars (L -a', shovvn as being two -in number in the accompanying drawings. The ends of said bumper bars are connected by a separate cap or end piece 7J provided with recesses ZJ corresponding in number tothe bumper bars. The ends of said bumper bars are inserted in said recesses and said caps are provided with lips c adjacent said recesses to which the ends of the bumper bars are fastened by bolts (Z. Said recesses are located so as to conceal the nut e placed upon said bolt and the heads of said bolts are preferably countersunl so as to lie flush with the surface of said lip, as shown in Fig. As can be noted in Figs. l and 3, the bumper bars are curved back Wardly, upon a relatively long radius, at each side of the supports Because of the length of the radius of said bars a, they do not have to be heated and thus in making this bumper it is not necessary to heatany part in forming the same, except the auxiliary member g which is relatively small and This is of great importance, not only because the heating and forging of said bars requires considerable time and isl therefore expensive, but also because the heat seems to affect the alloy steel, commonly used for making said bumper bars 0.--64. 'By arranging said bumper so that it extends into the recess b any burr or irregularity caused by shearing said bars is concealed as also is the threaded portion of the bolt and the nut carried thereby.

An auxiliary member g is fastened into said end piece or cap b at one end and the opposite end is formed into an eye g and fastened to the bumper bar a by a bolt h. Said eye g if unrestrained Will tend to space itself from the bumper bar a. That is, the member g is relatively resilient and is formed so that if it is fastened at one end, the other will be normally spaced from its point of connection. Thus, when said eye is held in placeI by the bolt 71, and the other end fitted into the cap Z), the tendency to retlex,^roeks the end piece or cap b about the bolt (Z which connects the same to the bumper bar. This tends to pinch 'the nut e tightly against the bumper bar so as to prevent it from backing olf the threaded portion of the nut Z under the vibration of the automobile.

Said auxiliary member g/ is formed to close the hooked end of the bumper, that is, the bumper bars being curved rearwardly of the automobile, thus forms a hook opening baclnvardly which normally extends beyond the fender Vand thus when the car is being backed said hooked end of the front bumper often engages a fender or other portion of an adjacent car. lith my auxiliary member g/ in place, however, said member will tend to deliect said fender o1 other article away therefrom to prevent it from being engaged.

l claim:

1. ln a bumper, in combination with a bumper-bar, an end piece fixed on each end of the bar, said ends and said pieces being provided with registering bolt holes, each of said end pieces being provided with a cavity to receive the adjacent bar-end and with a tangential projection arranged to overlie the front tace of the latter.

In a' bumper, in combination with a bumpenbar, an end piece fixed on each end of the bar, said ends and said pieces being provided with registering bolt-holes, each of said end pieces being provided with a cavity to receive the adjacent bar-end and with a Ytangential. projection arranged to overlie the front face of the latter, and a bolt inserted through said registering holes, a nut threaded on said bolt seated on said rear face.

'2.' In a bumper, in combination with a lmmper-bar, an end piece fixed on each end of the bar, and a guard fixed to the rear face of each end of said bar, said guards consisting of a. resilient. bent rod having one of its ends iastened to the rear face of. and at a substantial distance from the end of the bar, and its other end fastened to said end piece` said rod being adapted to tend to rotate the end piece about its longitudinal each end of said bar, said guards consisting of a resilient, bent rod having one of its ends fastened to the rear face of, and at a substantial distance from the-end of the bar, and its other end fastened to said end piece, said rod being adapted to tend to rotate the end piece about its longitudinal axis and 'foo thus to niove said tangential projection ot the latter troni the underlying bar end, thereby tending to tilt said bolt and thus cause its nut to bind and lock with said bar end.

In a bumper7 parallel bars, end pieces aflixed at the opposite ends ot said bars and connecting the latt ir, each o'l` said end-pieces being' ot' elongate torni and provided with interior cavities adapted to receive the adjacent ends ot 1 id bars, one side oi' the Walls encompassin said cavities extending tane'entially beyond thel latter and overlying` the 'iront t'aces oi the bar ends.

lu a bumper parallel bars end pieces atlixed at the opposite ends oi" said bars and connectingl the latter, each ot said end-pieces being of elongate orin and provided with interior cavities adapted to receive the adj acent ends oit said bars, one side ot the walls encompassing' said cavities extending' tangentially beyond thc latter and overlying' the front taces ot the bar ends, said end pieces and said bar ends being' provided with registering' bolt holes, and bolts insert-- cd in said registering holes, and nuts threaded on said bolts seated ou the rear faces ot the bar ends.

T. .ln a bumper,parallel bars, end pieces atiixed at the opposite end otf said bars and connecting the latter. each o1c said end-pieces beine' et elongate 'torni and provided with interior cavities adapted to receive the adja cent ends ot said bars, one side ot the Walls encornpa r said cavities extending tan- ;rentially beyond the latter and overljf'ing' the trent faces of the bar ends, said end pieces and said bar ends being provided `with registering bolt holes. bolts inserted in said registering holes and nuts threaded on said bolts seated on the rear 'faces oi" the bar ends, a guard lined to the rear Ytace at each end ot one ot said bars77 said guards consisting' of a resilient rod having' one of its ends 'fastened to said rear tace a substantial distance troni the end ot' the bar, and its other end 'fastened to said end piece, said rods being adapted to tend to rotate said end pieces about their longitudinal axes and thus to move their said tangential projections t'roni ther underlying bar ends, thereby tending to tilt said bolts and thus cause their nuts to bind and lock with the bar end.

S. An end-piece VJfor the ends of bumper' bars7 ot the character described, consisting' ot an integral fitting provided with an interior' cavity and an openingl leading into the latter, one side of the Wall encompassing said cavity extending trom said opening a substantial d istance tangentially to the longitudinal axis of the end-piece.

` 9. In a vehicle bump-er, a plurality of bumper bars, a cap havinga corresponding number oit recesses there-in adapted to receive the ends ot' said bars, and a lip adjacent cach recess adapted to overlie the bar when arranged in the recess and adapted to carry fastening; means 'tor said cap with said bar.

l0. In a vehicle bumper, a plurality of bumper bars,' a cap having a corresponding number ot recesses therein adapted to receive the ends or. said bars, a lip adjacent each recess adapted to overlie the barwhen arranged in the latter and adapted to carry 'fastening' means for said cap with said bar, said recess being; arranged to conceal the fastening ineans of said cap with said bar.

ll. In a vehicle bumper, a plurality of bumper bars, a cap having' a corresponding number ot recesses therein adapted to receive thc ends ot said bars, and a flexible auxiliary member fastened to said cap and said bumper bar.

1Q. In a vehicle bumper, a plurality of bumper bars, a cap having a corresponding number of recesses therein adapted to receive the ends of said bars!` a 'flexible auX- iliary member fastened to said cap and said bun'iper bar, said member being' formed normally to space one end thereof' trom said bumper bar and thus when held, tends to rock said fitting` and hold the ,fastening means in place.

'13. In a vehicle bumper, a plurality of bumper bars, an integral cap having' a corresponding' number of recesses therein adapted to receive the ends ot' said bars, a. lip adjacent each recess adapted to overlic the bar when arranged in the latter and adapted to carry fastening; means ttor said cap with said bar, said recess being' arranged to conceal the 'fastening' means ot said cap with said har. a flexible auxiliary member tastened to said cap and said bumper bar, said member beine' formed normally to space one end thereof from said bumper bar and thus When held, tends to rock said {itt-ing and hold the fastening' means in place.

FRANK J. LAHER 

